Marina Simião, Patchwork Methodology (Brazil)

What makes your project a reference for the creative tourism?

The Patchwork Methodology is a territorial development proposal for creative tourism focusing on small towns. The main idea is to make local actors, especially those citizens and institutions linked to the creative sectors, the protagonists in this development. Thus, it is proposed that, rather than fostering creative tourism, the proposal should be carried out and led by the local agents of a given territory. The result is that activities become more permanent, the products and services offers shall be linked to the characteristics, wishes and local reality, in order to unite economic development, citizen participation and cultural valuation in the same proposal.

What kind of creative activities do you propose?

Since the Patchwork Methodology is a territorial development proposal, and the offer of creative activities will be composed towards the particularities of the territory in which the methodology is implemented. The first challenge is, based on the cultural activities and sectors diagnosis, as well as the local peculiarities, to propose activities that are connected to the citizens and that can be presented in a special way to the tourists. The main goal is to create the opportunity for the tourists to experience the local culture, from the exercise of their own creativity, giving the chance to generate empathy, exchange of experiences and mutual knowledge.

What’s the way you work with the locals?

The local community is the main actor in the implementation of the Patchwork Methodology. It confirms that local community has autonomy to define the paths to be followed for the development of creative tourism in its territory. The local community must act from the local diagnosis, through the proposal of activities, formatting of tourist routes and products, as well as the evaluation of them and possible route corrections. The methodology presents a way of making and has, in the professionals involved, facilitators who, from the technical knowledge of the tourism sector and related sectors, can contribute to the destination development. Thus, several activities of training, bechmarking, experiences exchange, various exercises are carried out along the way to generate a solid, reasoned, absorbed and indeed representative proposal for the destination in question.

Can your proposal be developed in any kind of territory, country, continent?

The tourism activity in general has been worked as an opportunity for economic development for several territories, but for the development of creative tourism, the logic is somewhat different. Creative tourism has very specific characteristics with regard to its scale of production and ways of offering it. It is necessary to work local products, usually on a smaller scale and that are sought after by very specific market niches. Each city has its own history, culture and dynamics. Creative tourism can be a form of diversification and renewal of tourism activity in the most varied destinations, regardless of their size or maturity. However, in observing the small cities, I believe that creative tourism can be a form of increment and differentiation for the tourist activity of these territories, with less possibility of negative impact and generating opportunities of national and international projection and valorization. Therefore, the Patchwork Methodology was created with the focus on small cities, which can be located in any state, country or continent.

What is the value chain created by your project?

Generate a creative tourism development cycle, based on local reality, with citizen participation and autonomy, which will guarantee the interface of the local reality with the technical knowledge of the professionals involved form the basis of the proposal. A methodology that looks at the local reality, in an empathetic way, and seeks a collaborative creation where technical knowledge is as relevant as the local experience. The development of a method in which the local community participates, from the beginning, is much more likely to be successful and lasting precisely because it brings the gaze, feelings, knowledge and exchange of experiences among those involved, especially those who experience that territory every day. Therefore, the value chain generated by the Methodology is precisely Patchwork itself, the ability to create something new, beautiful and belonging to all, from the junction of “tissue pieces” (individuals, actors, local institutions). It recognizes that, from the individual characteristics, it’s possible to create something collective, to create something permanent, to create something that brings proud to this community, to create something beautiful.

From the individual characteristics, it’s possible to create something collective, to create something permanent, to create something that brings proud to this community, to create something beautiful.